by Laura Landon
How very simple it was. If she could live a lie for the rest of her life, she could keep Jonathan forever. If she could deny Jonathan his birthright, she would have a son who would love her—until he discovered his true parentage. Which he would. Then he would hate her.
The distraught couple turned away toward the door, pulling a painful cry from deep inside her. “Wait!”
Her muffled cry stopped them, and the earl and countess turned with surprise and concern on their faces.
“Don’t leave,” Sarah whispered. She wrapped her arms around her middle to protect herself from the pain. She wasn’t certain she was strong enough to survive this.
Before the last word was out of her mouth, Austin stepped closer to her. He supported her like he had so many times before. He wrapped his arm around her waist and held her so she wouldn’t fall. He was her pillar of strength so she could say the words she had to say.
The earl and countess stepped back into the room and Ruskins closed the door behind them.
Tears ran down her cheeks as she faced the Earl and Countess of Penderly, and said the words that would change her life forever.
“There is a child. A son.”
…
Austin held Sarah in his arms as relief washed over him. She’d told Penderly that there was a child. She’d made the staggering decision even though it meant she’d lose Jonathan.
He turned his attention back to the Earl and Countess of Penderly as Sarah’s words slowly registered. Their reaction was startled shock and surprise. Then an outward display of joy and elation.
Lady Penderly’s hand flew to her mouth and she cried out for joy.
“A son?”
Lord Penderly lifted his wife off the ground and twirled her in a circle, then brought her to him in a sincere embrace.
“Oh, forgive us,” Lord Penderly said when their display of happiness calmed. “You don’t know what hearing there is a child means to us.”
“Is the child here?” Lady Penderly asked. “Can we see him?”
Sarah’s face lost its color, her eyes filled with unshed tears, and she stiffened in his arms as if to ready herself for the barrage of questions she wasn’t prepared to answer. Austin supported her more firmly as Lady Penderly began her assault. She didn’t give Sarah a chance to answer one question before she asked the next.
“How old is the child? Is he still a babe? What is he called?” She clasped her hands in front of her. “Did Gregory see him? Did he know he had a son?”
“Stella,” Lord Penderly said giving his wife a gentle hug. “You haven’t given Miss Bentley time to breathe, let alone time to answer even one of your questions.” He turned his attention to where Sarah stood next to him. “Please, forgive us,” he said. “It’s just that we’re overjoyed with the news. You don’t know what this means to us.”
“Perhaps you’d like to sit down,” Harrison said, “and I’ll ring for more tea. I’m sure the ladies would like that.”
“Yes, thank you,” Lady Penderly said.
Austin noticed that the smile on the countess’s face had, if anything, grown broader. And the coloring on Sarah’s face had, if anything, grown paler.
Harrison rang for tea and everyone gathered in the center of the room. When they were seated, Penderly spoke for his wife. “Let me begin by asking one of the questions my wife asked earlier. Is the child here?”
Sarah wiped the last of the tears rolling down her cheeks then lifted her shoulders. “No, the child isn’t here.”
Penderly’s forehead furrowed with a deep frown. “May I ask why?”
Sarah leveled the earl with a look that was anything but soft. “Because it wasn’t safe to bring him to London.”
“Safe?” Penderly’s shoulders stiffened and his eyes narrowed with suspicion. “You are concerned for my grandson’s safety?”
“Yes.”
He tipped his head just as his quizzical look changed to sudden understanding.
“Am I correct in assuming even I was suspect?”
“Yes, my lord. Especially, you.”
Penderly’s eyes opened wide. “And did you almost let my wife and me leave today without telling us we had a grandson?”
Sarah didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”
“May I ask why?”
“Because I needed to make sure you didn’t intend to harm him.”
Shock and disbelief covered Penderly’s face. “What?”
The earl glared at her. Sarah’s insinuation was an insult to his character. From the harshness in the earl’s eyes, her comment wasn’t well received, but she didn’t back down. She didn’t soften her words or skirt around her suspicions. “Someone wants your grandson dead, my lord, and they’ve tried twice to kill him.”
Lady Penderly cried out in alarm.
“I couldn’t chance that the murderer was you,” she continued.
Penderly bolted to his feet. “You’re saying that attempts have been made on my grandson’s life?”
“Yes, my lord.”
“And you thought that someone was me?”
“Yes, my lord.”
Penderly’s anger was visible. “Why on earth would I want to murder my grandson? What possible reason would I have? He is my son’s child.”
“He is also the son of an actress.”
Penderly blanched as if he’d been struck, then dropped onto his chair. His arms hung at his sides as limp as a rag doll’s. He suddenly looked years older. “I see,” he whispered. His voice contained a hurt that was impossible to miss. “It’s because of the horrible things I said to Miss Flemming before she and Gregory eloped. She thought I might wish any child she had dead, didn’t she?” Penderly didn’t wait for Sarah to answer, but sucked in a ragged breath filled with pain. “Oh, if I could relive that awful day and take back every hurtful word I said.”
The earl regained his composure and faced Sarah with a regal bearing befitting his position. “I would never harm a child. Never. I give you my word.”
“I believe you,” Sarah answered. “If I thought you would, I would have taken the babe where you would never have found him.”
Austin wasn’t sure where Sarah kept her reserve of strength, but she was suddenly the strong, independent woman he’d seen when he’d first met her. She was the confident, capable person who’d fought off Jonathan’s attacker, then fled with the child to protect him.
The look of admiration on Penderly’s face was evident. Austin was sure Sarah could ask for half the kingdom and the earl would do everything in his power to acquire it for her. He owed her for saving his grandson’s life and that was a debt he’d see repaid.
A surge of pride unlike Austin had ever felt before consumed him. If he took time to evaluate the emotions roiling through him, he’d have to admit he felt that same esteem. He cared for Sarah more than he thought it was possible for him to care for anyone.
Of course, he wouldn’t risk evaluating those emotions too closely. If he did, he might discover he more than cared for her, more than admired her. He might discover he was falling in love with her.
He stamped down his feelings. Love wasn’t in his future, it couldn’t be. Especially not with Sarah. She belonged with Jonathan. Now that she’d revealed the babe’s existence, he’d make sure Penderly offered her a place where she could always be with him.
Austin kept his gaze focused on her, on the determined look in her eyes, on the sharp intelligence in her gaze, on the deep and caring compassion he knew she harbored. And he realized that he not only loved her, but he…needed her…
…to heal.
That knowledge cut through him like a honed rapier slashing at his heart. She was the healing balm to take away his pain, his guilt. She possessed the power to make him whole again, to give him back a sense of goodness.
But he couldn’t expect her to feel the same. He could never ask her to give Jonathan up. That would be like ripping out a piece of her heart.
He refocused his attention on the questions Penderly was asking Sarah.
“You said that twice someone had tried to kill the child. When? How?”
“The first attempt was when he was only weeks old. An intruder broke into the house. I assumed a thief had come to steal food or money since Lord Fledgemont had died and Lady Fledgemont was alone. But he went right to the baby’s room. He… he…”
Sarah’s breathing came in harsh gasps and the color drained from her cheeks.
Austin reached out and clasped his fingers around her hand and spoke for her. “The intruder lifted a pillow to suffocate the infant. Miss Bentley hit the man over the head.”
Lady Penderly’s small gasp echoed in the room.
“Did you know the man?” Penderly asked. “Do you know who might have sent him?”
Sarah’s gaze dropped to the floor.
“The man wasn’t able to tell her anything,” Austin answered for her.
Penderly silently evaluated Austin’s statement and wisely didn’t ask anything more.
“You said there were two attempts.”
Austin continued. “The second try came several weeks ago. We were on our way to London and an assassin fired a shot at the babe. Miss Bentley stepped in front of your grandson to protect him. The bullet hit her instead.”
“You poor dear.” Lady Penderly twisted her hands in her lap. “The lengths to which you’ve gone to save our grandson.” The worry and concern on her face were evident.
“Did you get a look at the gunman?” Penderly asked.
Austin shook his head. “He was gone by the time I took care of Miss Bentley and the babe.”
Penderly rose from his chair and paced the area close to where they sat. “Who would want to harm an innocent little thing? What could they possibly hope to gain?”
“It’s been my experience that there are basically only a few motives for murder,” Austin said. “Two of the most common are revenge and money. The first question I would ask you is, do you have any enemies who hate you enough to murder your grandson?”
Penderly stopped pacing and faced Austin. “No! I don’t know of anyone who would hate me that much.”
“That leaves money, then. Who is next in line to inherit the Penderly earldom if your grandson were eliminated?”
“No!” Penderly reached for the hand his wife held out to him. “You can’t be serious, Captain,” Penderly said. “No one knows about the boy. I didn’t even know he existed until just this minute.”
“Someone knows. And you know who that someone is.”
Penderly sank into his chair beside his wife. She turned to face her husband. “What is Captain Landwell saying, Johnny?”
Penderly shook his head.
“Who did you send to Wakemoor to verify the details of your son’s death?”
Penderly hesitated. Finally, he realized he had no choice but to divulge the condemning answer. “My nephew.”
“Which one?”
“Wesley.”
“The oldest?”
Penderly nodded.
“When he returned he didn’t mention that Lady Fledgemont had given birth to a son?”
Penderly shook his head.
“Perhaps we should concentrate on him.”
“Concentrate?” Lady Penderly asked. “Do you suspect Wesley of being involved in the attempts to kill our grandson?”
“There is that possibility,” Austin answered.
Penderly’s shoulders sagged. “I cannot believe Wesley would resort to murder. He’s been like a son to me since we lost our boys. He took over running the estates as if he was born to it. I couldn’t have asked for anyone better. There’s something wrong here, desperately wrong.”
“People are capable of anything when faced with losing everything. When your nephew discovered your son left an heir, he realized the Penderly title and wealth would never be his.”
“Surely he knows I would never dismiss him with nothing. He’ll always have a place with me, always be provided for.”
“Maybe a share of what you have isn’t enough,” Etherington said thoughtfully. “Maybe he wants it all.”
“He must, to resort to the murder of an innocent babe.” Penderly looked at Austin. “We can’t confront him and expect him to admit he tried to kill the babe.”
“No. We will have to devise a plan that will prove he’s the one who tried to kill your grandson.”
“Do you have something in mind?” Harrison asked.
Austin shook his head. “I’m not sure. Nothing that I’m certain will work.”
“But if I know you, Austin,” Harrison continued, “you have something in mind.”
Everyone looked at him, waiting for him to reveal his plan.
“Where is my grandson now?” Penderly asked.
“Our sister and brother-in-law, Lady Lydia and Major Gabriel Talbot have him hidden at Southerby Manor. He is under heavy guard.”
“Are you thinking of bringing him here?” Sarah asked. There was a worried expression on her face. She clutched his fingers and he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.
“I’m afraid we’ll have to, Sarah. It’s the only way we can draw our killer out.”
“No, Austin. He won’t be safe.”
“He’ll be safe. Gabe will surround him with guards to protect him, and he won’t be alone for one second once he arrives.”
“Could you explain what you intend to do, Captain Landwell?” Penderly said.
“Of course. I’ll send Major Talbot a message with instructions to bring the babe to London. I don’t anticipate his arrival for at least a week. When he arrives, I’d like you to host a dinner to announce that Lady Fledgemont presented you with an heir before she died.”
“How large a dinner would you like us to host?” Lord Penderly asked.
“I think a small number. Those of us here today plus Gabe and Liddy, your brother, his wife, and their two sons.” He saw the look of agreement on Penderly’s face. “Once you introduce your grandson, it shouldn’t take long for your nephew to realize he has to act fast.”
“You think Wesley will try to harm our grandson again?” Lady Penderly cried out.
“I’m afraid so,” Penderly answered.
“No, Johnny. We can’t allow it.”
“He won’t succeed,” Austin interrupted. “The babe won’t be where he can find him.”
Sarah was unusually quiet and Austin turned to look at her. Her face was void of color, her upper teeth clamped over her bottom lip. The most telling sign of her nervousness, however, was the quivering of her jaw. She was terrified.
“Everything will be all right, Sarah,” he whispered. “Trust me. I won’t let anything happen to him.”
Her gaze lifted to his and he saw the fear in her eyes.
“I promise, Sarah,” he repeated, knowing she probably didn’t believe him. How could she when she’d been shot because he’d underestimated the assassin’s determination?
The men confirmed a few more details, then Lord and Lady Penderly rose to leave.
“Miss Bentley,” Lord Penderly said before they left. “We will never be able to repay you for what you’ve done for us. You only have to ask and anything we have is yours.”
She shook her head. “I want nothing except this to be over and the babe safe.”
“He will be,” Lord Penderly assured her. “And don’t concern yourself with where you will go. There will always be a place for you in our home. You deserve to watch our grandson grow to adulthood along with us.”
Sarah nodded. Whatever words she attempted to say were too soft to hear.
Lord Penderly turned to leave, but his wife stopped him. “Were you with our daughter-in-law when our grandson was born, Miss Bentley?”
“Yes, my lady.”
“Did she name the boy, or did you?”
“Neither, my lady. Your son decided on a name before he died. Lady Fledgemont knew what to call the child if it was a boy.”
Her eyes filled with tears. “What name did he choose?”
“Yo
ur son wanted the boy to be called Jonathan.”
Lady Penderly looked up into her husband’s tear-filled eyes. “Gregory named his son Jonathan. After you, Johnny.”
The earl pulled his wife to him and held her for an emotional moment, then turned to face Sarah. “Thank you, Miss Bentley. More than you know.”
He blinked several times, then wrapped his arm around his wife’s shoulders and they walked to the door.
Chapter 18
The Earl and Countess of Penderly had been gone for hours, but Sarah couldn’t stop reliving their visit. A heavy weight pressed against her chest when she considered what would happen now. She would lose Jonathan.
Oh, she would still be with him. Lord Penderly had promised her she would always have a place with them. But Jonathan would no longer be hers. He would be theirs.
Strange how such a precious, healing thing—restoring a family—could carry such hurt. She closed her eyes and remembered the night Lady Fledgemont made her swear that she would always keep Jonathan with her, that she would raise him as if he were her own. Surely Lady Fledgemont wouldn’t expect Sarah to keep her promise if she’d heard how deeply Lord Penderly regretted the words of anger he’d spoken that day. Surely she would have made the same decision when she saw the heartache on Lord and Lady Penderly’s faces when they heard that the woman who’d married their son was dead. Surely she would have realized that giving Jonathan to his grandparents was best for Jonathan.
Except doing what was best for Jonathan was a bittersweet victory. She was losing something equally as important in the bargain. Instead of being filled with happiness, she was haunted by emptiness.
If she was honest enough to face what it meant to leave London when Penderly took Jonathan to the country, she’d realize the void she felt had everything to do with Austin Landwell.
She stepped out into the Earl of Etherington’s perfectly manicured flower garden. Austin was so consumed with every detail of his plan to trap Wesley Dunstan that she doubted he even realized she left the room.
She didn’t know everything that would happen, but she knew he’d written a letter to Major Talbot immediately after Penderly left. Then, after lunch, he left for a few hours. Within minutes of his return, a dozen or more men arrived to receive instructions on their new assignments.
